In Phoenix, Fry’s is the Kroger supermarket. The last two weeks, the Fry’s weekly ad has featured a “Weekend FREE-BEE” offering a free item when you spend $35 on Saturday or Sunday. You have to download the coupon to your Fry’s account, and it can only be used once per account. So far, Fry’s has offered:
Week of 9/10: Free Kroger brand salad dressing. “Price” : $2.49. Actual value: $1 (or less; it’s truly awful).
Week of 9/17: Free Kroger brand peanut butter 16 oz. “Price”: $2.29 ($0.13 per oz). Actual value: $1. This size of Kroger peanut butter regularly goes on sale for $1 per jar.
Week of 9/25: Free Kroger reusable bag. “Price”: $0.99. Actual value: $0.00. Who would actually buy a reusable bag?
Freebies are great, but this Fry’s offer is not great. That’s because if you shop on Friday, you get 4x Fuel Points.
If I shop at Fry’s on Friday:
- $35 spent, 140 Fuel Points earned, no freebie for me.
If I shop at Fry’s on Saturday or Sunday:
- $35 spent, 35 Fuel Points earned, and I get the “Weekend FREE-BEE”.
140 Fuel Points minus 35 Fuel points equals 105 Fuel Points. I earned an extra 10 cents off per gallon of gas because I shopped on Friday. Depending on my gas tank size (or tandem fueling with a second car), the 10 cents off per gallon is worth up to $3.50 (35 gallon maximum). I fill up my cars when they need 15 gallons of gas, and almost always forget to coordinate tandem fueling to maximize my fuel points, so my 10 cents off per gallon is worth $1.50 to me.
Let’s say I spent $100 instead of the minimum $35 to earn the “Weekend FREE-BEE” at Fry’s:
- If I shop at Fry’s on Friday:
$100 spent, 400 Fuel Points earned, no freebie for me.
- If I shop at Fry’s on Saturday or Sunday:
$100 spent, 100 Fuel Points earned, and I get the “Weekend FREE-BEE”.
400 Fuel Points minus 100 Fuel Points equals 300 Fuel Points. I earned an extra 30 cents off per gallon of gas because I shopped on Friday, versus chasing the crappy freebie.
30 cents off per gallon of gas is worth up to $10.50 off a 35-gallon purchase, or for me with my 15 gallon fill-up, 30 cents off per gallon of gas is worth up to $4.50. Even if one considers the freebie at the inflated price Fry’s is showing to make these freebies seem more valuable than they are, I still far outstripped the false value of the freebie by shopping on Friday during 4x Fuel Points. Remember that you have to load the Friday 4x Fuel Points coupon to your Fry’s account.
If you choose to shop at Fry’s on Saturday or Sunday to score the crappy freebie, instead of shopping on Friday during 4x Fuel Points, you actually lose money. Typical Kroger tactic to make people think Kroger is the good guy giving out freebies while it is swallowing every grocery chain to eliminate competition. Bread and circuses.
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